David Ogilvy's "Secret Weapon" for Advertising Success

In a continuation of this week’s Ogilvy feature I’ve dug up the following video. Instead of pontificating on Ogilvy’s best advice, I thought it best to let the man speak for himself. The video above is at least 30+ years old, yet Ogilvy’s advice is timeless. He built his ultra successful agency, Ogilvy & Mather, on direct response marketing. He considered direct response marketing his “first love and secret weapon.”

Is it Still Relevant?Some people might rightfully question the relevancy of the information. “The advertising and marketing world has changed so much over 30 years.” I would argue that the basic tenants of advertising and marketing haven’t changed in the last 150+ years. P.T. Barnum figured it out in the mid-1800s. If you get marketing at its fundamental core, which most people don’t, it doesn’t matter what medium or technology you use.

The Best Marketers in the WorldI’m blessed with the opportunity to hang around some of the world’s best marketers. The world's best marketers swear by direct response marketing. Eben Pagan built his business to $20,000,000 a year. At a recent market summit someone asked Eben, “what type of marketing should I use?” Eben’s response was “there is only direct response marketing.” If someone who makes $20+ Million dollars a year gave you some business advice, would you follow it? There are people I know who use direct response marketing to make over a million dollars in one day! Spend some time and take a look at how you can integrate direct response marketing into your event or business. If you invest the time to understand and use direct marketing properly, the payoff will be extraordinary.